Anjou

Anjou is a historical province of France on the lower Loire River, with Angers serving as its capital. Anjou bordered Brittany to the west, the County of Maine to the north, Touraine to the east, and Poitou to the south. The region was named for the Andecavi tribe of Gaul during the Roman era, and the population was heavily Romanized and Latin-speaking at the time of the Frankish conquest in 471. Anjou became the County of Anjou under the Kingdom of France, and it was also the birthplace of the House of Anjou. In 1205, King Philip II of France conquered Anjou from England, ending the English "Angevin Empire". In 1246, Anjou became an apanage for Louis IX of France's brother Charles of Anjou, and his branch of the Angevin dynasty established itself on the thrones of Hungary and Naples. In 1328, Anjou once more became a royal domain, but it returned to being a duchy in 1360. This Angevin dynasty also ruled Naples for a time, but it was again made a royal domain in 1480, remaining one until the French Revolution of 1790 led to the reorganization of the provinces of France.